Last stand



Jan. 29, 1946. v-. J. LAEVAGGI, JR

Filed Feb. 17, 1945 I fizventor Vic for JZevaggzJr Patented Jan. 29, 1946 UNITED STATE Victor J. Levaggi, Jr., Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Last Company, Portland, Maine, a corporation of Maine Application February 17, 1945, Serial No. 578,397 3 Claims. (01. 12-151) A last of the type above identified'comprises a heel part and a forepart connected by a link and pivot pins. A latching shoulder-formed on the link is arranged to cooperate with a pin carried by theheel part, but it may be unlatched from that pin topermit collapsing movement of the parts connected by the link. 7

The present invention is embodied in an improved combination comprising a last-supporting post or spindle and a lever partially nested therein, the spindle having a mortise partly in, and partly below, the portion intended to extend into the socket in the heel part of a last. One arm of the lever is nested in this mortise and is arranged to extend into the socket to a point above a retaining shoulder formed by a slot in the longitudinal Wall of the socket. The nested arm of the lever is provided with a latching shoulder arranged to catch the retaining shoulder of the socket.

The portion of the latching arm that extends above the latching shoulder is provided with a camming surface by which it Will be forced into the mortise in the spindle by the lower end of the socket as the last is pressed down to its seat on the spindle. If the last is of the type above specified, the camming surface of the latching arm will enga e the link of the last when the latching arm is rocked to its last-retaining position, and such rocking will disengage the link from its latching pin to permit collapsing movement of the forepart.

Th lever above mentioned is preferably in the form of a bell-crank, one arm thereof being arranged below the latching arm to serve as an operating handle and being so related to its fulcrum that the force of gravity will normally maintain the lever in its latching position. Moreover, if the post or spindle is rotatably arranged in a step bearing, the operating arm of the lever will serve to turn it about its axis to place the lever and the last in their cooperative relation.

Referring to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a last and a laststand in assembled relation but not interlocked;

Fig. 2 is a similar section of the interlocking parts of the last and the stand in their interlocked relation;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the parts intersected by line IIIIII inFig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the'last-engaging elements of the stand.

To facilitate comparison of the present description with that in the related application Serial No. 555,434, the elements are identified by the same reference numerals in both cases, although the utility of the stand is not limited to lasts embodying all the features hereinillustrated.

The last comprises a forepart ID, a heel part I I and a link 21 connecting them. The parts I0 and H are divided, one from the other, to provide oblique joint surfaces and stop shoulders. A heightwise' kerf 23 in the forepart, and a heightwise kerf 24 in the heel part are provided to receive the link 21 and a leaf-spring comprising arms 31 and 32 and a connecting portion '30. The link and the forepart are connected by a pivot pin 25, while the link and the heel part are connected by a latching pin 26. When the parts In and H are in last-forming relation the pin 26 cooperates with a latching shoulder 29 formed on the link and. defining a portion of a slot 28. p

The spring arm 3| is connected to the heel part by a pin 34 and thereby sprung away from the arm 32 which is thereby stressed to maintain the link 21 in its latching position (Fig. 1). The rear end'of thelink is thereby held in an opening 35 in the front wall of a cylindrical socket member 22 inthe heel part.

The stand comprises a base 36 adapted to be fastened to a bench, andbored to provide a step bearing for a rotatable post or spindle 31 journaled therein. The last-engaging portion 4| of the spindle is cylindrical and of a size to enter the socket member 22. A collar 42 aflixed to the spindle by a setscrew 43 is arranged to be seatedon the upper end of the step bearing to support the spindle and to maintain an annular groove 44 therein at the level of a retaining key 45 screwed into the base. rectly adjusted, provides a swivel connection that merely prevents withdrawing the spindle from its bearing.

A mortise 46 is formed in the spindlapartly in the last-engaging portion 4| thereof and partly below the latter to receive a latching arm 40 of a bell-crank lever. A lower arm 38 of this lever projects from the mortise to be grasped and operated manually. The handle portion thereof is partly broken away in Fig. 1. The lever and the spindle are connected by a fulcrum pin 39.

The key, when cor- The latching arm 40 has a latching shoulder 41 arranged to be projected from the mortise into i V the opening 35 in the socket member (Fig. 2) and manually to retract the latching shoulder 41 into the mortise when he is about to strip the last latching pin 26. The forepart l0 may then be lifted and rocked over the heel part while latter remains locked to the stand.

The weight of the operating'arm-38:normally projects the latching arm from the pripheral surface of the portion 4| (Fig. 3), thus exposing a camming surface 49 above-the latching shoulder 41. When a. heel part ispresseddown'on' the portion 4| the lower end of the socket member 22 may engage the camming surface 49 and thereby rock the latching arm into fully nested relation with the spindle, or, inisome'ca'ses, the latching arm may be "rocked by lifting the-operating arm. In-any'event'the operating arm-may also be used to turn'the spindle about its "axis to bring the latching shoulder 41 into register with the opening 35 in'the socket member.

'7 "I'hebell-crank lever is providedwith 'a'finger "50 'for "limiting its "range of rocking movement when no last' is mounted onth'e stand. The finger is'a'rranged to engage either of twoadju'stable stops 5| and '52 screwed'into'the collar 42.

2 When using the described stand toho'lda'last 'wh'ilea shoe is 'be'ingplaced on the'la'stfan op- 'iator 'WilIfirS'tlolik the heel'part t'Othe stand as hereinbefore explained androck the forepa'rt 'to'sh'orten the last. After "placing the forep'art of the shoe on the forepar'tof thelast, he 'Will press it down to restore the trueform'of the last,

and if the parts I 0 and are connected'b'yfa link of thetype herein showmthe spring 'arms'3l, 32 will return the link to its latchingposition (Fig. 1) and therebyforce the latchingarm Mla'nd "the shoulder 41 thereof into the"mortis'e46 in the "spindle. The ma part ofthe las't'l'nay thn'be stripped from the spindle; 'On thecther hand, if a last'fhassdlile other df lh'ealis'co'ilnecb- "ing'the rampart and w heel part, but "a soket "preview-with an *dpemng "as "and a lemming h oul der 48,"the operator 'tivill "raise firearm 38 the from the spindle.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A last stand comprising a base, an upstanding last engaging spindlehaving a mortise partly i r1 and partly below its last-engaging portion,

and a lever having a latching arm arranged in the mortise and an operating arm projecting from the mortise below the last-engaging portion of the spindle, said latching arm having a latching-shoulder arranged to be nested in the lastengagingportion of the spindle and to be projected laterally therefrom into an opening in the longitudinal wall of a last socket.

'2. A laststandcomprising a base, anupstandinglast-engaging spindle having a mortise partly in and partly below its last-engaging portion, and-a lever having a latching arm arranged in the mortise and an operating arm projecting "from the mortise below the last-engaging portion 'of thespindle, said latchingarm having a latching shoulder and a 'c'amming surface above it both arranged tobe nested in the-last-engaging portion of the spindle and'to be projected'from the peripheral surface thereof, said camming surface being arranged to be deflected into the *mort ise by-thelower'end of a last socket as the last is pressed down thereon, and saidshoulder being arranged to cooperate with a correspond ing shoulder in the longitudinal *wall of "the socket.

3. A last stand comprising *a' s'tepfbearin'g, "-a spindle journaled therein, means providing a swivel connection of'said bearing and the spindle, --the spindle having a cylindrical last engaging portion above said bearing and a mortise in said portion, and a bell-crank lever havinganupper "wall of a last socket, and said lower arm being arranged to 'begrasped and operated manually to turn the spindle aboutitsaxisand to rock said upper arm into and out of said mortise.

VICTOR J. LEVAGGI, JR. 

